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 A
veteran rocker, Ron Lasalle has lived his life to the fullest. He's
been a gypsy, a drunkard, a poet, a record label executive, a
husband and father. Through all this, the anchor that has kept him
alive and kept him moving forward is his songwriting.
Now Lasalle returns with his latest offering, "Just The Way
That I Am". Recorded in 1994 at Garry Tallent's famed Moondog
studio in Nashville, the album exposes the realizations of
accepting ourselves at face value and not worrying about other
opinions about our lives. After all, they are OUR lives!
Lasalle is the kind of writer who welcomes a listener into his
life to share his triumphs and his setbacks. The album opens with
the Stones-fueled "A Girl Like You", a funny little
ditty co-written with Bob Dylan's steel guitarist, Bucky Baxter,
that explores the notion of the grass being greener outside your
own yard. It closes with "Lite Me Up," a rollicking
number about the power of true love.
Other highlights include the haunting "Gypsy Heart,"
which examines the irony of surrendering our wicked ways of loving,
only to find that we've surrendered to someone exactly like
ourselves. The title cut, "Just The Way That I Am," is a
self-proclamation of independence, with a hum-along chorus that
echoes the sentiment. "It's just the way that I am/Take me or
leave me/I'm not that hard to understand/I am what you're seeing."
It's easy to see why Ron Lasalle is known as one of the nicest
guys in the music industry, a man who long ago discovered pretense
was a bogus act to hide one's own insecurities. When asked to
describe his own music, which has for years been compared to such
notables as Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, and John Mellencamp,
Lasalle simply states, "I'm a story teller with a back
beat."
Over 10 years of touring together, Ron Lasalle & The East Side
Rockers averaged 300 shows in 300 cities a year in both the U.S
and Canada. SRO crowds (a large portion being motorcycle
enthusiasts) became the norm for this native of Niagara Falls,
N.Y. But, at the height of his success, Lasalle decided to take a
break from the road and moved to Toronto, Canada, to pursue a
recording career. Lasalle released his first single, "Only
The Strong Survive," on SBK records, going on to record a
full LP for CBS Canada titled "Simple Glories".
Moving to Nashville, Lasalle settled in as a staff songwriter for
EMI Music Publishing. Lasalle has written and recorded with some
of the world's finest writers and musicians, many of whom are
featured on his new CD, including Garry Tallent and Max Weinberg
of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, Bucky Baxter (Steve Earle,
Bob Dylan), and George Marinelli (Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Hornsby).
Lasalle later co-founded the short-lived D'Ville Records with
Garry Tallent and Tim Coats. - ONTHEROW
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Singer/Songwriter/Producer/
Poet and former label chief Ron LaSalle is back with a 13 song
introspective collection  titled
“Too Angry To Pray” that he has termed “Soul Twang”. A
mixture of rock, soul, country and blues. Set for release in
February 2001 but available now at his web site Ronlasalle.com.
Recorded in Nashville, TN at Creampuff studios and Co-produced by
Brent Little of the RippleKings, the record treads on a myrid of
familiar styles with the authenticity of an early 70’s Memphis
Garage band. The CD opens with the spoken word delta poetry of
“FEAR” and closes with the revival stomp of “I’VE GOT IT
MADE” with it’s honest journey of Love, hope and pain in
between. The Radio ready title cut “Too Angry To Pray” depicts
his own acceptance of Alcohol abuse over 11 years ago.Co founding
D’Ville Records with Garry Tallent (Bruce Springsteen’s
Bassist) and Engineer Tim Coats in late 1995 they helped forge a
path in Nashville now called Americana mixing hybrids of music and
boosting the careers of such notables as Greg Trooper Steve Conn
and The Floating Men. The label folded in early 1997 and left
LaSalle stung by it’s failure followed by 7 deaths of close
friends and relatives including a new born son dying in his hands.
LaSalle turned back to writing and performing for pure salvation.
With a National tour in the works and initial press being positive
LaSalle will once again prove he is the King of Passion, Heart and
Quality. By Kevin Maxwell
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